(at the end of the season, Barça Transfer Zone looks forward to the coming transfer summer making an analysis for each position, in part 8 we look at the centre forward)
2007-2008
Due to the injury of Samuel Eto'o (27), who kept him away from playing until December, Thierry Henry (30) initially took the place in the centre. Since Henry had to move regularly to the left cause of the troubles Ronaldinho was facing, Bojan (17) got his chance up front.
Out
Bojan will certainly stay and will probably sign a renewal this summer (read more here). At this moment it looks like Henry will also stay, although he has been linked with a return to the Premier League (Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham, Aston Villa), with a move to the Major League Soccer (Seattle, New York) and with clubs like Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe.
Since he declared one month ago that he would leave Barcelona if the team does not win a trophy next season (read more here), Samuel Eto'o is in the middle of a transfer storm. Tottenham would have been pushing hard for the striker but it seems for now difficult he'll end up with the club, both for economic and sports reasons. Clubs like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Fenerbahçe, Chelsea and Arsenal could also be following the Cameroonian.
In
Karim Benzema (Lyon - 20) is the dream candidate but will not leave Lyon in the summer. Since Guardiola was named as manager, there are rumours about him wanting to bring in a strong, tall striker, with Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal - 24) apparently being the back-up for Benzema.
Other names that were mentioned include Adriano (São Paulo/Inter - 26), Jozy Altidore (New York - 18), Amauri (Palermo - 27), Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham - 27), Diego Milito (Zaragoza - 28), Didier Drogba (Chelsea - 30), Dani Güiza (Mallorca -27), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax - 24), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter - 26), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke - 26), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla - 27), Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors - 26) and David Trezeguet (Juventus - 30).
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1 comment:
The possibility of Eto'o remaining with the club for another season might be a tough pill to swallow. Phenomenal talent as he is, he just keep's inserting his foot in his mouth and the worst possible time(s)! And I just don't see any way at all that Eto'o and Henry will be on this team next season. One of them has to go. I kind of feel sorry for Henry because he was never truly given the chance to shine and show what he's capable of, having to play out of position for much of the season. Rushing back from injury before the season started didn't help matters either. Of course had he waited a bit longer and continued to rehab the press would have been all over him...Wait! the press were all over him anyway when he got off to such a slow start! Either way he was "set up" to fail anyway you look at it. Realy sad, for such a legend of the game. He deserved better...Of the "realistic" candidates remaining I probably would pick Berbatov. He's got a lovely "one touch" and excellent control of the ball. However he does tend to "drift" during games and is not the "physical" striker that Barca may be looking for. Although his "effortless" and "tidy" style fits Barcelona to a tee.
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